环球英语 14 Listener Mail 69

　　Voice 1

Hello, I’m Rachel Hobson.

Voice 2

And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight 1. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 2

Welcome to our listener 2 mail programme! It is time to hear your comments and opinions about some of our programmes.

We start today with a letter about our programme “Face to Face”. “Face to Face” is a project started by two French men. JR and Marco are artists. In 2005, they traveled to the Middle-East. They wanted to know why Palestinians and Israelis could not live together in peace. They visited both sides of the Israeli West Bank barrier 3. And they found that the people were not so different from each other.

Voice 2

JR and Marco then took pictures of Palestinians and Israelis who have the same job. In many of the pictures, people are making funny faces. Then, JR and Marco put these pictures on show, side by side, in public places. They did this on both sides of the border. The pictures were very, very large! So people from every community could see them.

Voice 1

Our Spotlight programme ‘Face to Face’ spoke 4 about this project. Avelin Razilov wrote to us from Canada. She gave us her opinion about ‘Face to Face’. And she told about her experience of living in Israel. She wrote:

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“I liked this programme very much. I agree that all these people look the same. Maybe we like the same food. But we do not speak the same language. We are always different. When you live in Israel you understand more than when you live outside.”

Voice 2

The situation in Israel/Palestine is difficult for outsiders to fully 5 understand. So thank you very much for your letter, Avelin. We always like to hear about people’s personal experiences of subjects that we talk about. The message of the “Face to Face” project is important in many situations around the world today. It is a message about respect. Learning 6 to respect other people can lead to understanding. And understanding can lead to peace. So, many people around the world are praying and working for peace in the Middle East. The three main religions in the area are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three teach that people are God’s highest creation 7. So respecting God means 8 respecting other people.

Voice 2

Thank you Avelin, for writing to us about this important subject. If you want to share your comments with us, our e-mail address is: radio @ english . net.

Voice 2

And now, a letter from Eddy 9 in Ecuador. He is worried about one of our Spotlight presenters 10!

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“What about Courtney Schutt? I do not listen to her voice very often. I want to listen to her.”

Voice 2

Eddy, you will be pleased to hear that Courtney is very well. She is busy with many projects. Also, Courtney is training hard. She is going to run a marathon 11 race in October - that is forty-two [42] kilometres! But keep listening and you will hear Courtney again - when she has enough breath 12 to speak!

Voice 1

Recently Courtney and the whole Spotlight team visited the country of Albania. All of us would like to say a special hello to the listeners 13 of Radio 7 there! We really enjoyed meeting you. And we loved seeing your beautiful country.

Voice 2

In today’s Hodgepodge we hear about an Albanian legend 14. This story is about how Albania got its name.

Voice 1

One day a boy was hunting in the mountains. He saw a large eagle flying above him. This huge bird landed on a rocky 15 hill. This is where it had built its home - a nest made of sticks. The eagle was carrying a snake in its beak 16. It dropped the snake into the nest. Then it flew away. The boy below saw what happened. So he climbed to the top of the hill. He quietly looked into the nest. There he saw a baby eagle - an eaglet. The eaglet was playing with the snake. But the snake was not truly dead.

Suddenly, the snake awakened 17. It opened its mouth. It showed its long sharp teeth. It was going to bite the eaglet! So the boy took out his bow and arrow 18. And he killed the snake. Then, he took the eaglet with him. He climbed down the hill and started on his way home. But he did not get far before he heard a noise above him. The large eagle was following him. The eagle cried out, ‘Why did you steal my child?’ The boy said, ‘The child is mine. You failed to kill the snake. And I saved the child.’ But the eagle stated ‘Give me back my child. And I will give you sharp eyes like my eyes, and the power of my wings. You will be very strong. And one day people will even call you an eagle.’

The boy returned the baby eagle. So he became a very strong man. He was a great hunter. And he killed many of his people’s enemies. All the time the eagle flew above him. It watched and protected him. So the people of his land asked him to be their king. They called him ‘Albanian’ which means ‘Son of the Eagle’. And his kingdom became Albania - Land of the Eagles.

Voice 2

And now we have time for one more letter. Marco in Latin 19 America writes:

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“I want to thank all of you. You have given me courage to continue learning English.”

Voice 2

Thank you for your e-mail, Marco. We are happy that our programme encourages you. Learning another language can be both fun and difficult. As you know, the most important part of learning a language is to keep trying - to practise. It is also normal to make mistakes.

Voice 1

One mistake that I made when I was learning French was: I wanted to say ‘It is raining’ - in French ‘Il pleut’. Instead I said ‘Il pleure’, which is ‘it is crying’. My friend could not stop laughing. She laughed so hard she started crying. Well, I would never forget the word for ‘cry’! And I understood that I just needed more practice.

Voice 2

Well, that is all we have time for today. Thank you for joining us for today’s listener mail.